Man has attempted to control the flow of fluids from dispensing units for many centuries. From the fountains in ancient Greece to the wide variety of industrial fluid applications which require precise fluid flow, engineers have worked for greater fluid control. To this end, scientists have realized that careful attention must be given, not only to the actual point of egress of the fluid from the dispensing unit, but also the flow of the fluid within the unit upstream of that point of egress.
A common concern among engineers is to design a dispensing unit which is able to receive a turbulent ingress of fluid from a high pressure source and bring that turbulent flow under control in order to obtain a desired fluid flow at the point of egress from the dispensing unit.
A dispensing unit should therefore be designed to provide the necessary fluid control for delivering the fluid from a fluid inlet to the point of egress.
Previously known fluid dispensing units designed to provide a sheet-like flow of fluid have appreciated the need for controlling the flow of fluid upstream of the point of fluid egress from the unit. Such devices have been provided with chambers proximate the point of fluid ingress into the dispensing unit. While the inflowing water is in a chamber adjacent the inlet to the unit, this fluid is subject to direct contact with other fluid flowing into this chamber. Therefore, the fluid in the unit is less controllable and more likely to maintain a turbulent flow pattern than if it was transferred to another chamber substantially separated from the inlet.
It would, therefore, be desirable to provide a fluid dispensing unit for dispensing a sheet-like fluid flow wherein the fluid spends a substantial amount of time in an area away from the direct influence of the turbulent flow of the inlet.